Unbroken Walls
by parodized
Summary: Natsu was immature in every aspect, especially on how he handles personal related matters. That's why he quit his mission since he couldn't continue without getting personal. It was understandable though since his client this time was the one who married Lucy. That's why he decided to build a wall so high that even his closest nakama wouldn't be able to tear it down. NaLu
1. Unbroken Walls

Disclaimer: I do not own Fairy Tail.

**READ: Do you know that heart-wrenching feeling when you accidentally deleted a story you didn't intent on deleting? If not, then let me tell you - IT HURTS! It fucking hurts. Your reviews D: Anyway, good thing I had a back-up. I was thrashing around a while ago when it happened.**

**Why? Well, I was supposed to delete another story but I just had to be stupid. (You don't say?)**

Anyway, here it is _again_.

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**"Of all forms of caution, caution in love is perhaps the most fatal to true happiness."**

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**Unbroken Walls**

The stellar mage ran across the street, swerving every now and then to avoid colliding with the by passers. Ignoring the ludicrous look every guy sent her, she made her way to the main street that led to her guild. After a few months, those men wouldn't even DARE look at her again like that.

Natsu was obviously not in a good mood. Even an idiot could tell that since he barely touched the flaming food Mira gave him. He suppressed the sudden urge to throw an all-out war to lessen his uneasy feeling he felt and settles just groaning and slamming his head on the tabel. Happy, feeling his friend's uncharacteristic attitude, flew on top of him and landed on the fire mage's head.

"Natsu …" the cat purred. The boy forced a groan to response.

It was official. He was _obviously_ not in the mood, and it annoyed him to an extent that he didn't know why. But Natsu knew better than to ignore his gut-feeling as it was his instincts and instincts always made him win. And his gut told him right now that something would happen today that would forever change his life.

* * *

Lucy sprinted across the street and jumped over a cart of vegetables, knocking a few cabbages off. She continued to run, ignoring the frustrated cry of the vendor as she continued to make her way to the guild. She was not going to let any trivial obstacles hinder her happy mood.

After a few more seconds of running, Lucy finally made it to the large oaken doors of the building. Taking a deep breath to steady herself, she pushed the double doors open.

"NATSUUUUU!" she yelled. If there's one person in this world who should know first, it would be Natsu. The stellar mage quickly scanned the place for her partner and saw him across the room at the bar, holding a drink. She paused, Natsu rarely drinks. Well, except at parties.

Lucy held her hands across her chest and let out a tired sigh. She happily strode across the room to meet with her partner and was about the call him until she saw the way he looked. Natsu lacked the usual enthusiasm that he always had. His head was resting on the bar's table and his shoulders were slumped. He had one drink on his hand and a few empty drinks on his side. She saw him move a bit which made her get a glimpse of his face. He was obviously tired as he had a set of fresh eye bags under his eyes. Setting aside his disheveled appearance, she walked up to him and gave the fire mage a light tap on the back.

"Natsu" she called. She felt him stiffen under her touch which made her worry. Nothing, I mean _nothing _surprises this dragon slayer. Even in his sleep he can sense whatever was happening around him.

Natsu moved his head a little to his left to see the spirit mage; he saw her smile and greeted him which he grunted in return. He had a bad feeling that whatever it was she wanted to tell was not going to be good news to him despite her jovial appearance. He sighed. Not wanting to ruin her good mood, he threw himself up and landed next to her, giving her his lopsided smile. A smile he only shows Lucy.

"What is it Luce?" He asked. Though he asked, Natsu felt like he didn't want to hear the answer, because whatever she may say may lead him down to a breakdown.

_What the hell am I thinking?_

He told himself to shut it because no way will Lucy say anything to upset him, especially in her state right now. She was nowhere near mad or in pain to make him like that. Apparently, he was wrong.

"He finally asked me to marry him!" she squealed. Natsu felt his blood run cold and his world crumble down. The guild grew silent at her news and then cheered. Juvia came running to her and gave the blonde a hug as she cried tears of joy for her friend. Erza came and put squeezed Lucy's shoulder, congratulating her after. Gray gave her a curt nod, but still he was happy for her. But Natsu - what was he feeling right now?

It certainly wasn't joy. It was nowhere near happy.

To him, the guild was still quiet. To him, this was all a dream. To him, this was only a joke. Lucy was obviously mad at him for screwing up their last mission. This was only her way to get her revenge. Natsu stared at her to look for anything that would give away her prank. This was Lucy dammit! She was his Lucy whether the blonde knew it or not. She was the only one who made him go all out for stupid things. She was the only one who knew everything about him. She was supposed to be his. But if this was what she wanted, he would give her the happiness she deserved to have. He saw the ring on her finger shining brightly in the light and inwardly winced. He forced himself a smile despite the aching feeling he had in his chest.

He loved her and it hurt him to know that he wasn't the lucky guy.

Lucy noticed her best friend's silence and turned towards him. She felt her heart break at how he looked at her, she saw happiness yet sadness at the same time. No it wasn't sadness; Natsu would never get upset at something like this. She stopped … was that betrayal? She shook her head and looked at him again, it disappeared. Natsu walked towards her and gave her a hug.

"Congrats Lucy," Natsu whispered. Lucy was surprised at the gesture. She expected him to ran and tackle her to the ground and she would push him away and whack him in the head. She expected some Natsu-like, not something else. Knowing how close the two were, she looked at him. There was it again –the stress in his eyes. It looked like he was forcing himself to do something. Lucy paused and looked at their position. He was still holding her yet she felt as if he has already let her go. She couldn't feel the warmth that she usually felt when Natsu was around her. She couldn't see the usual crinkle in his eyes when he would smile. He seemed … out of place.

The guild fell silent as they noticed the two weren't as energetic as they were supposed to be. Something seemed off. Erza looked at Natsu then to Lucy. The spirit mage looked lost and the dragon slayer looked sad. The red-haired mage knew what the boy had for Lucy; she could see it in his actions. The way Natsu would sneer at whenever he would catch someone checking Lucy out. The way his eyes would glow when he was with Lucy. The way he would punch whatever bastard had the guts to lay their hands on her. The way he loved her, whether he was aware of it or not.

Natsu felt the guild stare at them, his arms jerked and let go of Lucy. She blinked at him and he smiled in return, a heartbroken smile that he was throwing at her, he just hoped that she would get the idea. Seeing as she didn't, Natsu gulped. Lucy would take his silence the other way if he said nothing after the congratulations. Setting up the façade he'd worked so hard on for the past minute, Natsu gave her his usual lopsided smile, albeit forced.

"I-" He opened his mouth, the words just couldn't come out. Why couldn't he say the five words he knew would calm her unease down. "I-"He sighed. He just couldn't say it.

_I can't be happy for you, Luce._

* * *

Lucy's eyes slowly widened at the Natsu before her. She had a slight feeling that about what was going on in his mind. If she had guessed right, what would she do? Had she known this would she fall for him? She saw him struggle with the words and suddenly felt sorry for him. If he had been early in telling her his feelings, would the walls between them break? She wasn't sure. Lucy knew Natsu was important to him. But as she saw him now, she realized that she was important to him in a different way. Important enough that he would willingly die in her place? Lucy shook the thought that were beginning to plague her mind. She had decided, and she was sure to take this path. Natsu will be the man to escort her down the aisle, as he was the one she treated most as family.

_Am I cruel? _She thought to herself. An invisible bitter smile came to her lips. She had hurt him, and in a way she least expected to.

When she felt his fingers twitch, Lucy looked at him. He was smiling real this time. That, or suddenly became a great actor.

"I'm happy for you Lucy!" he grinned. He was happy for her.

She wasn't.

Lucy? Just Lucy? Wasn't she Luce? Suddenly, she felt like she was a different person to him.

"What's wrong Lucy?" He asked, had he said it wrong? She shook her head.

"Nothing." She answered. The fire mage laughed, "You're weird Lucy."

To the guild, they would still look like the two mages that had been partners for the past eleven years, the incident with Tenrou included. But to Erza, Happy and Gray, those who were close to the two from the start, it was a different story. One can see the hurt in one and doubt in the other.

* * *

"Well, I'm off." Lucy said as she grabbed her bag from the table. Dusting of the invisible dirt on her skirt, she gave them the usual smile and left the building.

He watched her as she left the guild, happily flashing the ring to the people that passed. He shouldn't have kept it to himself. He was too sure that she wouldn't marry another guy. He was always too sure.

He had made the wrong decision.

Now, he didn't need a genius to tell him that he was too late. He has made his resolve.

He would just stand behind her, watching her back, ready to pummel the guy if he ever tried to make her cry. Something he was sure that wouldn't happen.

He would just take it in.

He would hurt, just for the sake of her happiness.

She was important to him after all.

* * *

**"Do it right the first time every time."**

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**A/N**: Wow, if you read this again, well ... thank you so much for wasting your time.

To those who have already read this before, if you noticed, I changed some of the grammar and added some new stuff there. Just a few though, but I assure you, they didn't change the story. (**too bad**) Well, if I'm going to re-post this, I might as well fix it, right? RIGHT?

Is this considered necro-posting? I think so... ?_?


	2. Help

I don't know how you'll interpret this news, but I'm pretty sure you'd like it:

After publishing Unbroken Walls for the first time -not this, a thought struck my head and after a few seconds of imagination, it turned into a scene. As a writer, I immediately wrote it down as I didn't want it to disappear.

Then I forgot about it.

But a few days before, due to some inspiration, I came back to it and started to add another scene. But as I wrote, I found myself adding some more. Then it turned into a paragraph, then two, then three. When I checked, it was now a page long.

So, what now?

I continue it of course. xD

I need help though –**give me a good surname.**

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If you want to, review me a good surname for the bastard.

A/N: I changed it so it can be a bit understandable. xDD Too bad, I liked the riddle. Haha!


	3. Breakdown

**A/N: AAAAAAAAAAAAND, IT'S HERE. Finally, I made it. **

**Disclaimer: FT is not mine. T^T**

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The awkward atmosphere between them was palpable as Natsu refused to speak while Lucy refused to make eye contact. All the time they were apart, they wanted to see each other as much as they can, but when destiny soon granted their wish, they now wanted to disappear from each other's presence.

Why?

Lucy's married.

And as much as Natsu wanted to be happy for his friend, he couldn't. For he wanted to be that man –the man that she would forever have by her side, the man that would never leave her, and the man that swore before many witnesses that he would love her until his last breath. It sucked because it wasn't him. And it sucked more since Lucy's priorities after getting married didn't include Fairy Tail, or him at all. The group later on knew that Lucy's husband turned out to be a business tycoon who just so happened to accept a job a few countries away from Fiore. Since Lucy grew from a business inclined family, she knew that the benefits of accepting this opportunity would support them for a few years. So they had no other choice but to transfer home for the time being until the project was done.

It took them a year and a half to finish everything, settling down not included.

It took Natsu three years before he got to see her again.

* * *

**Breakdown**

It was quiet in the guild –it has been like that since Lucy left. It was afternoon but Natsu was sleeping the time away. Everyone noticed him change since his partner's wedding. He disappeared for a week the day after that and when he did came back, he lacked the usual energy and enthusiasm he always had. After Lucy went away to help her husband, he disappeared for three weeks and when he came back, he was as quiet as a ghost that everybody only noticed him when he left for home.

The fights between him and Gray were still there, but one could see that lack of motivation to hurt each other. Erza was the first one to notice the act. Happy once asked her why she said it when the two looked so normal. She told the blue furball that it was just a way to keep things going around. Compared to Mirajane, Lucy was like their second mother and a sister rolled into one. She was the kind of sister that would spoil you and hit you if you did something idiotic. Not out of line –idiotic, as she would be right next to you if you did something against the rules even if she was against it.

Her absence just made a huge impact on the guild.

Natsu painfully grabbed his head when he woke up. The alcohol seemed to reach his head quite faster than the last time. He heard Happy land on the seat next to him and felt a tug on his sleeves.

"Natsu…" the cat purred. The man looked over to his cat best friend and his eyes widened at the mission he was holding. He casually ripped the mission off the board last week after he came back from another mission and only looked at the details. The paper was soaked in water so the writing was hardly understandable at this point.

"We were supposed to—"

"Shit!" he cursed. He jumped out of his seat and grabbed the cat's tail before running towards the guild's doors.

"Sorry Happy" He apologized. "I overslept." He laughed weakly as he heard the cat sigh. "You always oversleep, Natsu." The cat crossed him arms as he swayed up and down.

Natsu left the guild without saying goodbye, a gesture that the guild seemed to accept over the years, and disappeared. Someone inside the building sighed, catching the attention of the requip mage that was present.

Erza turned to the barmaid tending the counter and sat on one of the barstools. Mira saw that Erza had the same look she had and offered her a smile.

"C'mon now Erza," she told the mage as she placed a strawberry cake in front of her. The white haired wiped her hands on a towel as she watched Erza take a bit out of the cake. "Leave the worrying to me. Natsu's just trying to cope by going to missions." Her eyes lingered on the mission log book for a short while.

Erza swallowed the delicious treat before replying, "He's not coping Mira." she said. "Natsu's avoiding. He hasn't even mentioned her name for the last three years." The barmaid furrowed her brows in confusion, "He hasn't?" She was sure she heard Natsu say that it was Lucy's birthday two months ago.

Erza picked up Mira's confusion and shook her head. "Lucy yes. But have you heard him call her Luce ever since?" Mira realized this and shook her head. She lowered her eyes on the counter and sighed. "He didn't."

The red haired nodded her head, she made her point.

Erza took another bite from her cake. She lifted her head when she felt Gray take a seat next to her. Gray ordered for his regular snow cone. Mira nodded at him and disappeared into the kitchen. When the boy saw that Mira was gone, he turned to Erza and whispered to her.

"I got a letter from Lucy." Erza choked on her cake. The idiot chose the wrong time to tell her that.

Gray hurriedly took the pitcher from over the counter and grabbed her glass. Erza snatched the pitcher from his hands and drank the whole thing dry. She slammed the container on the table, ignoring the wet stains on her shirt, and glared at her teammate. She didn't have to worry about her clothes, they will eventually dry. There were more important things on hand right now –like Lucy.

Gray wasn't wearing anything so Erza settled for the next good thing to pull. She grabbed the mage by his nipples and pulled him close to her face.

"Why did you tell me this just now?!" Gray shivered at her voice. It was dark and menacing. He gulped and grimaced in pain as she pulled him closer. "Why?"

Gray gladly thanked his mother for making him a boy. Damn, his nipples hurt.

"A-ah! Shit Erza." he pulled himself away from her, falling down on the floor. He rubbed the pained part on his chest and groaned. "That hurt."

"Not as much as your face will be when you don't answer me." Gray could see the dark aura surrounding the mad woman. He quickly stood up and sat three barstools away from her destructive hands.

Erza knew that it wasn't Gray's fault, but she couldn't find anyone to slash her anger out on. She found the ice man to be the perfect punching bag for her frustrations right now. Natsu just left for a week-long mission and as he left, Gray shows up and tells her that he received a letter from Lucy –whom they haven't seen for the last three years.

She couldn't call in divine intervention. There was nothing neither divine nor heavenly about the matter.

The red haired worryingly looked at the guild's doors as if the fire mage was still there.

* * *

Natsu's mission required him to accompany a wealthy business man to Acalypha. The mission said that the man was to attend some yearly meeting. It said that the client could go there by himself but due to some bad relationships, the man feared for his safety. The man had a wife, and as a husband, he didn't want to worry her so he sought help from the guild to accompany him on his way to the meeting. The business field was like the treasure chest for many assassins as it had the highest number of murdered ... assassinated people.

Natsu chewed on a piece of flaming meat as he waited for his client on their rendezvous point. He calculated the length of the mission. It took him a day to arrive here. One day to travel, one day of meeting, three days of travel –he wanted to be escorted home, and one day to return home –exactly a week. Natsu found the reward a bit low compared to the amount of work needed from him but since it was only an escort mission, he decided that the only work he would do was walk. If he was lucky, maybe his client would let him sit with him inside the vehicle. Natsu dismissed the thought immediately after remembering his weakness on moving things.

Natsu lifted his head when his ears picked up the sound of a horse. Finally, he could leave.

The fire mage had his arms crossed as he watched the coachman open the door to let his master come out. His client was surprisingly simple to be a wealthy business man. He expected someone to come out wearing expensive suits but he only wore a collared shirt and black slacks, but Natsu was sure those were first-class clothes.

The twenty-five year old watched the man with judging eyes. He looked okay –he doesn't seem to be bad. His teeth were white, he had good dental hygiene. His nose twitched at his scent though. For a man, he smelled like lavender and vanilla.

His client held out his hand and greeted him. "It's nice to meet you again, Mr. Dragneel."

Natsu ignored his client's friendly greeting and cautiously eyed the man. He narrowed his eyes at his hands; they looked like they haven't experienced hard labor. He held out his own hand and stiffly shook hands with him. His scent was assaulting his nose. Natsu decided that he'd rather walk than sit with him.

"Likewise." was all he answered.

The man, Natsu never bothered getting his name, looked around nervously at his surroundings then back to him. He gave him a weak smile before speaking up, "I supposed we should get going then, the faster we go there the faster you can finish the mission." Natsu scoffed, he turned around and saw the coachman already on the carriage, waiting for them.

"Fine." Natsu didn't make eye contact as he opened the door for his client. He didn't notice the soft sad look the man gave him as he closed the door. The fire mage gave the coachman an okay sign and started walking as soon as the carriage moved.

He spent his time thinking, a habit he grew accustomed to once Lucy left. He thought about his guild, his nakamas, and for some reason, he thought about his teammate. He considered still Lucy as one of them of course, she promised them that.

He remembered the worried look that his guild gave him the first week after Lucy left. She didn't mean to leave –she didn't expect it too, but the opportunity given by her husband's job was far too tempting to resist. She told them that she'd return. She had her husband to protect her.

Natsu disagreed. He wasn't a mage to protect her. Damn, he didn't even know the guy. He left the moment he gave Lucy's hand to him at the altar. He wasn't present during the whole ceremony. What if something bad happened? Lucy was still famous for being the Heartphilia's heiress. Call him prideful, but at least he knew that she'd be safe with him around.

He swore that he'd watch her. Protect her from afar.

But how could he do it when she's miles away from him?

For a day long travel, Natsu felt as if only a few hours have passed. Maybe it was because that he was so deep into his thoughts that he didn't notice the time. It was bad of course, what if someone ambushed them? Thankfully, no idiot dared to do it.

Natsu thanked his client when he told him that he booked him a room. At least he was being taken care of, unlike in his previous missions. He skipped dinner and headed straight for his room, plopping on his bed at once. He heard Happy purr in delight as the cat stroked the soft sheets of the bed.

Natsu grimaced at the grime that stuck to him. He inwardly cursed as he pushed himself of the inviting bed and took a bath even if it was against his will. He was sleepy but no human could sleep if they felt this dirty about their selves. Maybe him, but that was three years ago.

It was already afternoon when the fire mage woke up. His client knocked on his door, waking him, and opened it enough for his head to peer inside.

"Good Afternoon Mr. Dragneel." he said. Natsu sat up and mumbled a good morning. His client smiled. "The meeting will be starting in a few minutes. I'm just here to remind you that I'll be in the west hall for the rest of the day." The mage nodded in response and plopped back into bed when his client closed his door shut. Natsu crossed his arms over his eyes and sighed in frustration.

He overslept again.

Only an hour passed when Natsu found himself tired of waiting. He was in Acalypha for goodness sake, a beautiful town he rarely went to. He might as well take a look around while waiting for his client to finish talking about money with other people.

He walked towards the meeting hall, only to be stopped when a large man stopped him by his chest. Natsu was above average height for his age but the man still managed the tower over him.

"There is a meeting going on inside."

"Can you leave a message then?" he requested. The guard recognized who Natsu was, his pink hair was hard not to miss. He nodded, "For whom?"

For whom? Natsu inwardly frowned –he didn't know his client's name.

The guard took note of his silence. Like his amazing works of awesomeness, Natsu's idiocy and lack of attention was well known too. He sighed.

"Tell me what he looks like." Natsu thought of the most striking thing about his client. But he found it hard since he was as simple as a normal person.

"He's as simple as a normal person."

The guard laughed at Natsu's description. "Very well then, wait here." He instructed. "I'll just call Mr. Lockhart out to speak to you."

Natsu sucked in a breath as he heard the man mention his client's name. His eyes widened in realization. His smell. He was stupid for forgetting something so important. He wanted to run and leave his client behind. But that would mean forfeiting the mission and admitting to himself that he was afraid. No, he wouldn't run. This was nowhere near personal. But as he saw the brunette come near him, Natsu couldn't help but feel suffocated. His nose twitched as his scent assaulted his nose –lavender and vanilla. He wasn't furious, but he found himself going there as each second ticked.

"Mr. Dragneel, what brings you here?" the young man smiled.

If there was one thing that Natsu knew about Lucy after her wedding –it was that her name was similar to this man.

Lucy Lockhart.

Natsu stood face to face with the man that married the woman he loved.

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**C'mon guys, let's be nice here. Review please! :D**


	4. Fortify

**Fortify**

He quit the mission the day after.

Natsu apologized to Lockhart of course –it was the best form of respect he could give the guy after leaving him hanging when he asked for a bodyguard/escort mission. He told the guy that his replacement was on his way. Gajeel had more control than him. His client wholeheartedly understood his predicament and as a man that once experienced heartbreak, Lockhart knew that Natsu was going through the same thing.

He didn't complain when he left though, it was awkward too on his part.

Felix Lockhart was a man of many things: a loving husband, a loyal friend, a trusty companion. But there was one thing he never got the courage to do in his whole life –be calm in the presence of Natsu Dragneel. Two days ago was the second time he met Natsu. The first time was during his wedding. But he couldn't count it as a sighting since the mage deliberately left the ceremony the moment he let go of Lucy's hands. But he had to since their meetings were less than half of the number of his fingers in one hand. Maybe it was because he knew the proximity Natsu had with Lucy that it made social contact with the man seem impossible.

Just before Natsu left, Lockhart called him and threw a small bag at his direction.

"That's your payment for the time you did your mission." he said. Natsu's brows furrowed in confusion and slight annoyance, he didn't need the money. There were many more jobs to pick from. Natsu threw the small bag back to him and walked away.

"Wait!—"

"I don't need it." Natsu said before the man could speak, "I didn't finish the mission." The man pulled out a small wad of money and ran up to him. He forcefully grabbed the mage's hand, ignoring the indignant growl he heard, and placed the money on his palms.

"I said I don't—"

"It's not." he cut him off. "Just think of it as an allowance to help you go back to Fairy Tail." Lockhart bowed ninety-degrees and thanked him.

"Thank you for your hard work." he raised his head and went back into the hotel he was staying at. Natsu mumbled a "Don't thank me, idiot." and tucked the money in his pocket. He watched his former client walk back into the building. The idiot looked creepy as he smiled at everyone that greeted him.

Natsu felt Happy land on his head. He scratched the cat's back when he felt him purr.

"Natsuuuu…" the cat purred. "You know, Lucy's going to be mad at you if she were here."

"Well she's not. So she won't be mad." Happy knew that that was the end of the conversation, so he just settled for the soft nest known as Natsu's hair and kept quiet. The boy passed by a wet market and saw the freshly caught fish that were displayed in one of the stalls. He tapped the cat's shoulders and asked him, "Hey, you want some food?"

The cat's eyes gleamed as he gave his best friend a big happy 'Aye'.

Natsu spent the rest of the day walking around Acalypha.

He walked along the asphalt road of the town's market area. He remembered his team running on this very street when they went after Lucy when she left to check on her father –they had to cancel their job for that. He remembered the feeling he felt when the townspeople told them that there was an attack in one of the merchant guilds and that a mage fought against them. They had a hunch that it was Lucy. It turned out to that it was her.

He stopped at the plaza in the middle of town. This was where they saw Lucy in the middle of that chaos. This was where he first saw her father. He recognized him the moment his eyes landed on his messy blonde hair. She may have brushed it off, but he saw her talk to him.

Seven years after that, he saw her depressed when she heard about her father's death.

Five years after that, she was married to someone else.

Three years after that, her husband became his client.

Natsu surprised himself when he decided to quit with the mission. He wanted to end it without letting his personal issues get in his way. But he guessed that his personal issues were too heavy. He stopped by the park and sat on one of its benches that were positioned in front of the lake. He was deep in thought again. The fire mage combed his hands into his pink tousled hair and sighed.

Why was he so bitter?

He picked up the nearest pebble and threw it across the waters. Ha watched it skid and form ripples and smirked when it reached the other end. He picked up another but Happy spoke before he got the chance to throw it.

"Natsu." Happy tugged his sleeve. "The sun already set. Let's go back."

Natsu let the pebble fall from his hands and watched it tumble down and land near the lake's edge. His eyes landed on the blue fur ball at his side at ruffled his head.

"Tomorrow." he said. Happy let out a whine. "But Natsu, we don't have a place to rest." Happy resisted the urge to drown himself in the lake when he saw Natsu lie down on the bench.

"Natsu—"

"Let's just sleep here." the fire mage draped his averagely long legs over the bench's armrest and closed his eyes.

"You're being unreasonably moronic Natsu."

The boy cracked one of his eyes open and looked at the cat. Happy was standing on Natsu's chest with his furry blue arms crossed over his own chest and frowned at him. He gave Natsu a disapproving look and shook his head.

"Stop it Natsu." Happy told him. "You're hurting yourself in the most obvious way."

"Enlighten me, Happy. I'm 'moronic', I don't understand you." He closed his eyes again and rolled over to his side. Happy jumped down from his chest to the ground. He pulled Natsu by his muffler, choking him, and watched as the dragon slayer fell to the ground.

Natsu hit the ground head first. He groaned as he sat up and rubbed his head to help ease the throbbing pain. Damn that blue cat. Natsu glared at Happy. The cat was feigning innocence at him and ignorantly walked away. Natsu dragged the cat back by his tail and lifted him to him face.

"You can be very annoying when you want to be, you know that?"

"Aye." Happy smiled but a frown replaced as fast as he could say aye. "Natsu, we really need to go home." Natsu frowned in distaste. Happy's been pushy since he quit. He kept saying 'let's go home'. Like now, the cat was pulling at his pants.

"Fine." he gave in. Natsu could see the glow that was in Happy's eyes. Was he itching to go home that bad? Natsu gave up any logical excuses to sleep on the park bench tonight. He grabbed Happy, placed him on his shoulders, and headed to the train station.

While walking, Natsu found himself thinking why Happy wanted him home now. He thought of today, it wasn't anything significant. Why?

"Happy?" he called. The cat stirred awake from his sleep, hitting Natsu lightly on his head for waking him up. The cat purred, waiting for him to ask. Happy was sleepy. They were at the train station now. Natsu took advantage of the time to sleep for a while as they waited for the train. He told the passenger next to him, also bound for Magnolia, to wake him up when the train arrived. He never got to ask his question as he quickly fell asleep.

It seemed as if only a few seconds has passed, but in reality it has already been an hour. They arrived at the station too early. Natsu worried at how he's going to hold himself in the train. He asked Happy if the cat could transform like Lily and knock him unconscious like Erza used to do but the cat shook his head. Even if he wanted to hit Natsu, he wasn't able to go into Edo-Happy mode. So no. Natsu looked menacingly at the metal beast that sat in the middle of the station. He was going to die. He took a step inside and immediately melted into a puddle.

Just the smell of vehicle made his stomach turn.

Natsu did his best to get to the nearest booth in one piece. Thankfully, he managed to do it without turning green. But it didn't last long until the train lurched forward.

Needless to say, an unlucky janitor was called to clean his dinner.

Natsu laid his head on the window. His head throbbed in pain and even though it sounded cheesy, so was his heart. He blamed his carelessness for what he was feeling right now. If he just looked at that mission, he wouldn't be in this situation right now. The reward was a waste though. It was worth eight months of rent. Natsu banged his head on the window for thinking something so Lucy like. He doesn't even have an apartment. The boy held his head in his hands and sighed a long frustrated sigh.

He missed her.

He missed Lucy.

There, he admitted it. After three painstakingly long years, he finally admitted to himself that he missed her. And it only took one meeting with her husband for him to realize it. There was another reason why he quit the mission. Natsu remembered that he was supposed to escort the man home too. If his idiocy and ignorance were at their maximum level during that time, maybe he could have taken the damn man home. But his ignorance probably wouldn't be able protect him from himself if he saw Lucy there.

Damn these human feelings.

There was one feeling that Natsu acknowledged from the very start.

He was hurt.

Yes, he was. It had been unbearably painful for the first months but Natsu managed to cope with it. He fought Gray for fun. He battled with Erza, but still lost. But even though he did all this things, he never got her out of his mind. So he tried reverting back to the days when he hasn't met her yet. He went back to looking for clues about Igneel, he went on missions more frequently, but still –he couldn't forget her. So he tried the last thing he had on his mind. Live as if she hasn't been in his life. He avoided the route to her home, he stopped calling her Luce, he never joined the Fantasia parade again, and he never _ever __**ever**_ participated in the S-Class Trial Exams ever again –which was a disappointment for Makarov since Natsu was a potential S-Class mage. Too bad love defeated him, S-Class or not though, he was still considered one of the strongest so maybe the title wasn't needed at all.

But like all the other things he previously did to get her off his mind, nothing worked. Her smell still lingered in the guild, in his house, damn, he could smell her even if she wasn't there.

So that's when he decided to not do anything for the next months. Unfortunately for him, it only took him two months of abstaining before he crawled back to Fairy Tail.

After the first year had passed, Natsu gave up and decided to just live with it. He figured that if something like this ever happened again –to which he hoped not (he was pretty firm on his belief that Lucy was the only one for him), he would just have to be prepared. So he did. He built up his walls, fortifying it with the thought that he didn't want to get hurt again. And somehow, it worked. He successfully avoided relationships and lived a peaceful life for the past two years.

Natsu's eyes drooped as each second passed by, he was emotionally and, surprisingly, mentally exhausted. He needed rest to which his body happily gave him. His eyes shut as he drifted off to sleep.

**. . .**

A lone figure sat in one of the booths at the last car, far from where Natsu and Happy were sitting. It was dark and it came alone so it didn't notice the presence of the two. And even if they were in the same car, the figure wouldn't notice them for the moon's light didn't reach them from it was sitting.

The mysterious person sat in silence as it waited for the train that was bound for Magnolia to stop. Its destination was just a few more hours away. Its mind drifted to a person that it was longing to meet –it's been too long. It hoped that may their meeting this time would be just like before –

Granted that his walls were still down for her.


	5. Defensive

**Defensive**

It was early morning when the train whistled. It entered Magnolian territory only a few minutes ago.

Natsu sat straight from his seat, stretched, and thanked Mavis that he came to the place still in one piece and not in a puddle of pink goo. He looked over to his side where Happy slept and shook him awake. He thanked Mavis again that he conveniently woke up right after the train had stopped in the station.

As he stepped out of his natural enemy, Natsu inhaled the fresh air of the morning and looked around the place. He had never been so happy to go back to Magnolia. It was like going to the safest place on Earthland. The sun was rising, the wind was blowing perfectly, the birds were chirping and the ambiance was so peaceful that it threw the fire dragon slayer into a spiral of negative emotions.

Yes. It was a perfect mix of nature and depression.

Yesterday didn't end so well for him. He got Lucy's husband as a client (which made him quit) and got pitied on when he left, though he was secretly grateful for the allowance the man gave him (he had no money other than the payment). But still, it didn't change the fact that Natsu was bitter now.

And it also didn't change the fact that he just bumped into a complete stranger, knocking her belongings onto the station floor.

"Sorry," he said as he offered his hand to her. It was a _she_ obviously, that surprised 'ah' was at a pitch a regular man couldn't reach.

"No, it's okay." she said as she grabbed Natsu's hand. "You were obviously distracted." she stood up then crouched down to pick up the stuff that littered the ground around her feet. Natsu noticed this and began to help her.

Though he was trying to be polite, Natsu couldn't help but scrunch his nose at the woman's scent. Her natural odor smelled like Cyprus and Lemon, an unlikely mix for a scent, but blended perfectly nonetheless. Her hands were wearing gloves. Her hair was a shade lighter than blue and her eyes were black and round. A bit too round for his taste as though as it reminded him of someone, albeit the eye color.

Natsu deduced that she was a rich woman. He'd seen those high class silk she was wearing from other rich women he'd escorted on missions. He didn't want to be judgmental, but he suddenly found himself annoyed by her. Her kind (her status, not her kind as that would mean the entire human race) were exactly the ones he least wanted to help. He still did, but with the least enthusiasm. He just didn't like it how they had everything they want in their grasp.

He didn't like it that they did while he didn't.

He sighed. He was being bitter again.

The woman noticed this and asked him if he was alright.

"I'm fine," Natsu said, in a rather snappy manner. He just didn't want to be asked by a question wherein answer was so obvious. He bowed apologetically for the woman, suddenly feeling sorry that he'd snapped at her when he shouldn't, and left the station.

As they walked away from the place, Natsu remembered the question he was meaning to ask Happy. He shook the cat on his head awake and asked him.

"Happy," The fire mage waited as his friend stirred; he chuckled when Happy hit him softly on the head for waking him up.

"What?"

"You know," he started, "We really could've slept at that bench, we both known that we wouldn't get cold." Happy was now fully awake and flew down to meet Natsu's face. "You looked like you really wanted to come back, can I ask why?"

Happy looked at him with an expression Natsu rarely saw him use, frustration. It surprised him, in a way, since his brows shot up when he saw that look on his friend's face.

"You're mad at me?" he couldn't help but ask.

"A bit." Happy answered casually, "But that's not the thing here Natsu. Sorry for pulling a Lucy on you but can you at least think rationally?" Natsu frowned upon the word rational. "You don't do things like that." Ah, it was about last night. He remembered what Happy called him that time and huffed indignantly.

"I can't Happy," he crossed his arms and narrowed his eyes at the cat, "I'm a moronic idiot, remember?"

"Yes you are." Natsu frowned again. It was a straight answer, no second thoughts. "But I'm tired Natsu. Do you think I like when I see you like this for the past three years? No. No one did. And no one told you this because there was no way of telling you without mentioning Lucy." Happy crossed his own furry arms and sighed. "I'm not telling you to move on Natsu, but can you at least go back to the you before? Lucy made a huge impact on us when she left, so don't go doing the same thing to us."

"I didn't"

"Yes you did. You're here … but are you here?" Natsu stopped walking for a moment to think about Happy's words. Where was he? He was always at the guild either to pick up a new mission, to fight with Gray and to just lay back and sleep. But was he really there? He remembered the times when he'd plop down to one bench and then sleep, leaving after he'd woken up. He remembered drinking the day away whenever there was no mission strong enough for him to take. He remembered leaving _every time_ someone's tongue slipped at Lucy's name.

Maybe he wasn't really there.

Natsu glanced at Happy and sighed. "Fine. I promise not to leave you for like, ever." he held out his hand and crossed his heart. "See? Promise." he grinned.

"Aye!" Happy cheered, obviously satisfied with Natsu's answer. After a quick lunch at the local restaurant, the two headed for home. Even then, Natsu didn't get his answer why Happy wanted him to return so quickly.

It was quiet in Fairy Tail during the afternoon. Many members were either out on a mission or at home taking a rest during this time, contributing a lot to the peaceful atmosphere in the guild. Some of the members present were playing cards, some were sleeping on the tables and some were having a deep conversation in the bar. It had been like that ever since in the morning. But today's silence was broken when a certain mage kicked the guild doors open as he walked inside.

"Yo!" Natsu held his hand up to greet them. Just like before.

"…Natsu" said Erza, surprised by her friend's sudden change of attitude. She quickly stood up, followed by Gray who was also surprised, and went to them to welcome the two back home. If her memory served her right, Natsu was supposed to return a few days from now, not today. She found it unfair, his return, as it would mean that she would have to tell him about Lucy. It was a bit unfair on her part too since she was the one who knew that piece of information and telling Natsu about it while he's so happy saddened her.

She quickly shot Gray a look of help and smiled when Natsu tapped her shoulder.

"Anything happened while we're gone?" he asked her.

"Nothing." she answered, and quite fast too for his taste. Natsu's eyes narrowed slightly at Erza, he wasn't the smartest of them all but if there was one thing Natsu was sure about, it's that this woman wasn't good at keeping secrets.

"You don't look like it's nothing." _You're hiding something from me._

"N-no, no, no." Erza had her arms defensively in front of her and shook her head. "I'm not hiding anything." Gray facepalmed at the distance, Erza might've as well told Natsu Lucy was coming back.

**. . .**

The woman watched silently as Natsu walked away from the station. When she was sure he'd disappeared, she ran to the nearest restroom, ignoring the surprised looks of the people around her, and locked herself in it.

It was unbelievable. Who would have thought that she'd meet Natsu Dragneel in _here_ of all times? Her bet was actually a restaurant or a park, since people said he went there all the time, but not here. She didn't expect her first meeting with him to be quite unusual, with her falling on the ground and him snapping at her. It was odd, the feeling.

She remembered seeing him scrunch his nose at her, did she smell bad? Because that would suck. But then again, a dragon's sense of smell was at a degree higher than a regular human's nose. Maybe it was her natural scent, if so, did her natural scent smell bad? She was sure she smelled like lavenders the last time she remembered. Now conscious of her appearance, the woman raised her sleeves and smelled it. She smelled fine.

She wanted to change clothes now, for obvious reason. The woman rummaged through her bag and brought out a maroon turtleneck and a pink pencil skirt. It was different from what she used to wear, but at least it still held a bit of elegance to it.

She looked into the mirror and sighed. She just looked so different now: her blonde hair was waist-long, her eyes were three years older, and her mind was downright muddled.

She just couldn't believe that she'd meet Natsu there of all people.

Going back was already hard, seeing him so troubled was harder. She just wanted to cancel that transformation spell she quickly made in that short span of time she fell on the ground, and hug him there and there. But she couldn't. She didn't know what kept her from doing so. She just found herself frozen on the spot until Natsu left the station. Maybe it was the shock of seeing him again after all these years or maybe it was the unconscious guilt she felt when she left him that left her so paralyzed.

She splashed a handful of cold water on her face to calm her down. A sudden light made her eyes blink. The sunlight must have found its way into the bathroom and hit the ring she was wearing. The ring. Her wedding ring.

Lucy realized that maybe going back was harder than she thought.


End file.
